Gas-control attachment for packers



P. H. MACK GAS CONTROL ATTACHMENT FOR PACKERS Jan. 29, 1929.

Filed Sept. 24, 1924 INVE TOR.

QWMJ ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 29, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PATRICK H. MACK, OI BRADFORD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 'IO OIL WELL SUPPLY """"'PANY, OF'PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

GAS-CONTROL ATTACHMENT FOR PACKERS.

Application filed September 24, 1924. Serial No. 739,739.

This invention relates towell packers of the type used in oil and gas wells, and particularly to an attachment for the top of said packers.

This invention is for an improvement in a somewhat similar device described in my copending application Serial vNo. 689,305, filed January 29, 1924, and has for its object to provide an attachment for the top of pac ers which may be applied to specially formed packers, or to present types, and wherein means is provided for permitting or shutting.

oil a flow of gas through the packer. More particularly, it has for its object to provide 1-5 an improvement over the construction shown in my said application, by means of which the use of springs is eliminated. The invention may be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section showing the attachment secured to the upper portion of a packer, with the gas control valve open; Fig. 2 is a'similar view, showing the valve closed;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section in of line IIIIII of- Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the lower piece of the attachment, with the valve removed; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse section in the plane of line VV of Fig. 4.

In the drawings, 5 designates the body of the control head, particularly the lower connecting portion thereof adapted to screw onto the top of the' packer A, the cooperating threaded portions being designated 6. This body is substituted for the usual upper end member of a standard packer, and ma when desired, be screwed further down on t e body of the packer, to compress the usual packing sleeve B. The body has .a neck portion 7 of reduced diameter, and in the inwardly sloping shoulder 8, between part 5 and the neck, are ports 9. These ports are made of the greatest possible area to provide as little resistance to the flow of gas as possible, parts 5 and 7 being joined only by narrow webs 8*.

In the neck 7 are longitudinally extending grooves 10 whose upper ends terminate in other slots 11 transverse thereto and extending partway around the periphery of theneck. The terminals of these transverse or lateral grooves are preferably slightly sunken or notched, as indicated at 11.

Slidably fitted or telescoping over the neck the plane 7 is a valve member 12 having a tapered lower end portion 13 for cooperation with the sloping shoulder 8. Passing through this member 12, a little above its lowermost end, are radial pins or screws 14, whose inner ends project into grooves 10 providing a splined connection, by means at which the valve and connector are slidably but non-rotatably joined where the pins are engaged in such slots. When thennember 12is elevated until pins 14 are at the upper ends of the slots, the member 12 maybe rotated a limited distance with respect to the body by reason of the lateral slots 11. The screws preferably have enlarged heads to prevent them from bleitng turned into binding relation with the s o s.

At the upper end of the sleeve or Valve portion 12 is a reduced joint portion, interiorly threaded at 15, to enga e a lettingn plpe 16. The upper part of member 12 Is also interiorly threaded at 17 to receive the upper end of a section of well tubing 18. Section 18 is preferably a short section, carrying a coupling sleeve 18 at its lower end, to which the next section, such as 19, of the well tubing is connected.

One important advantage of the provision of this coupling on a short length of tubing is that it provides a stop to limit the upward movement of the valve sleeve, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the weight of the packer is put on the coupling and not on the pins 14.

In use, the attachment is placed on the packer in place of the usual letting-in connection. Letting-in pipe 16 is then connected to the attachment, as shown in Fig. 1,- and I the packer lowered into the hole. Before being lowered, the valve is fixed in open position with the pins 14 engagedin the enlarged terminal portions 11? of lateral grooves 11.

This positively'holds the valve open, even though the packer is being lowered against a flow of gas which would otherwise be sufficient to overcome the suspended weight of the packer. By reason of the enlarged terminal portions 11 of slots 11, the tendency of the packer and body to rotate with respect to the valve member is largely overcome. either when the packer is being lowered against heavy pressure and is being urged upwardly, or when it is being lowered against low pressure and the weight of the packer is hanging from the valve member.

Once the packer has been set, the valve may be opened or closed, as desired, to control the flow of gas past the packer.

The construction of the device as illustrated is cheap and simple. It provides a large gas escape passage, and is not dependent upon springs to hold the cooperating valve sleeve and valve body in open position; Various detail changes may, however, obviously be made in the construction of the device within the spirit of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

A gas control head for packers comprising a ported body having an upwardly proj ecting tubular extension thereon, said extension having a longitudinally extending groove and a lateral groove therein, said lateral groove leading out of the top of the iongitudinally extending groove and extending partway around the extension, the terminal of said laterally extending groove-being enlarge'd, a valve member surrounding and telescopingly engaging the extension, and a pin on said valve member. adapted to be entered in the said lateral groove to hold' the valve member against longitudinal movement on In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.-

PATRICK H. MACK. 

